HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-02-2014 ss1 ferrisKremke, Kate
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Sent:
To:
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SS1 09/02/14 with cc to Hermann.
Mejia, Anthony
Wednesday, September 10, 2014 9:13 AM
Kremke, Kate
FW: Ban on polystyrene products
Anthony J. Mejia, MMC I City Clerk
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
tel 1 805.781.7102
- - - -- Original Message---- -
From: Marx, Jan
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 5:37 AM
To: Richard Ferris
Cc: Mejia, Anthony
Subject: RE: Ban on polystyrene products
AGENDA
CORRESPONDENCE
Date l , - I Item# 5s
Thank you for your input on this important issue. I am including our city clerk in this response, so your email becomes
part of the public record and is posted on the city website when the issue returns to city council.
Yours,
Jan
Jan Marx
Mayor
Office of the City Council
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 -3249 E jmarx @slocity.org T 805.781.7120 slocity.org
From: Richard Ferris [rferris @squaredealonline.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2014 5:20 PM
To: Marx, Jan; Smith, Kathy; Christianson, Carlyn; Carpenter, Dan; Ashbaugh, John; j9rands @gmail.com
Cc: mwhittlesey @co.slo.ca.us
Subject: Ban on polystyrene products
Dear Council persons and other concerned citizens
Please rethink your ban on the small portion of expanded polystyrene products you hope to eliminate.
Here is the letter I wrote to the city staffer in charge of this bad idea.
Hi there,
About that ban on "expanded Polystyrene" sorta
1
A really bad idea who's time has come, would seem to be the theme of a ban on blown or expanded polystyrene cups
and similar..
A real solution and a way to make a positive contribution to the world would be to embrace recycling polystyrene in all
its forms.
The lack of a technology to "densify" the expanded product is due only to a lack of will not a lack of ability.
To " densify" expanded styrene a machine similar to the same machine that makes injected molded polystyrene parts is
needed. The shredded styrene is fed into the hopper, the pressurizing screw thread both feeds and puts the styrene
under high pressure. It is fed into a pressure chamber that is heated to the correct temperature to re- liquify the
polymer, which is then "extruded" through a series of small holes, cut to length by a revolving scraper at the extrusion
die, at the opposite end of the chamber.
The result is a compact,dense,sell -able raw material that economically ships and has many potential uses.
Nothing but a semi - simple machine that needs to be built ..... we have Cal Poly right here and with a small grant or just
official encouragement we could be the city that begins nationwide recycling of all styrene products instead of ..........
With a ban, the SMALL ( by weight and volume) of slightly visible foam drink cup is gone, but the MUCH,MUCH, LARGER
volume of rigid packing foam, injected molded , formed and extruded, polystyrene as well as all the hi impact
polystyrene products that make up over 95% of the polystyrene that needs recycling and that your ban will not affect.
Polystyrene , ( once" densified" ) has significant scrap VALUE. We receive around 60 cents a pound for our HIP (hi
impact polystyrene ) scrap. Injection molded scrap is probably worth about half that. The big thing in pricing is how
much you have and how clean it is.
Polystyrene products need to be recycled more than some of the plastics we currently accept.
The volume of rigid expanded polystyrene that is used to package and cushioning new consumer goods dwarfs the
amount used in drink cups. By banning drink cups you are orphaning the BULK of expanded polystyrene and stopping it
from ever being recycled.
The infra red technology we are currently using at the landfill to sort out the plastics, ( the ones we are arbitrarily
choosing to subsidize and recycle .............) can also separate not only expanded /blown polystyrene products but can also
catch polystyrene in its other more common forms.
Polystyrene is one of the best plastics to recycle! Unlike many polymers that must be heavily processed, polystyrene
once "densified" can be used. Cleaning is not even always necessary if the scrap is clean.
The same quality products are made , not lower quality versions as with some other plastics. Injected molded and
extruded versions can be remade using the scrap as is except for a bit of grinding up to make the scrap a more uniform
size.
Using the power of government to impose your personal, political or religious values on others is called FASCISM. This
usually means that honest open discussion and education are unable to achieve the tyrants goal so Fascists use the
power of the state to impose their opinions, wishes, fantasies and beliefs on others.
Fascists BAN other peoples stuff....... Free men who respect the liberty of their fellow citizens work towards real and
actual solutions to make the world better, NOT token gestures that in reality will actually will make things worse by
removing the visible items that should create the pressure to do the actual recycling.
PLEASE reconsider this ill thought out SCHEME and respect the LIBERTY of all citizens in SLO.
To IMPOSE this BAN for the flimsiest of reasons while knowing it is a token gesture only and that it will have no real
positive effects is unjust and an affront to Liberty.
Liberty is dying a death of 10,000 cuts .... this is another needless slash for the fun of doing it.
The right thing to do is never the quickest or the easiest thing to do .............that's how you know it's the right thing.
If I can provide any further input or if you would like to pursue actual recycling I would love to be of service
Sincerely,
Richard W Ferris
Pres' Square Deal Recordings and Supplies
Square Deal Surplus
Pres' Sub Corp. dba
Cheap Thrills Movies Music & Video Games
Captain Nemo Comics and Games
The Sub
805 543 3636
PS The corrugated style insulated drink cups that replace foam contain so much glue that unless they are treated as
cardboard they contaminate regular paper scrap and lower its value.
They also contain a coating to reduce absorption making them even less suitable for recycling